Improvement in water-wheels



@anni dimite.

PHILIP O. PALMER, OF SWOOPES DEPOT, VIRGINIA.

Letters Patent No. 96,952, dated November 16,1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN' WATER-WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHiLIP O. PALMER, of Swoopcs Depot, in the county' of Augusta, and State ofVirgiuia,

` have invented a new and improved Turbine Water- IVheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the construction and operatimi of the same, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view, a portion of the curb and wheel having been removed to show the internal construction thereof, and

Figure 2 is a detached perspective view, representing the construction and arrangen'icnt of the chutes and gates.

The object of this invention is to save the water, and to improve the construct-ion of the gates, so that they can be more easily operated and adjusted than heretofore.

The tirst object is attained by the employment of an auxiliary set of buckets to catch and `utilize the water of leakage; and the second, by the use of pivot'ed curved gates operating against the mouths of the cycloidal chutes, in the manner hereinafter more particularly set forti?.

In the drawings- A represents the vertical shaft.

C C, the main buckets, arranged between the hub and the outside rim, D, ofthe wheel, as seen in fig. 1.

E, the curb, fitting down over the upper edge ofthe rim D. n

F, a horizontal ange around the lower edge of the curb, conuectedto the spindle-step by means of curved standards GG, which support the weight of the curb, chutes, and gates.

H H, a series of cycloidal chutes, arranged around the inner side of the vertical walls of the chute, as seen in fig. 2, each chute being composed of the two vertical walls h 71.*, in connection with the two curved inclined Hoor-plates h2 h2, constructed as shown in said fig. 2.

I I, curved gates, pivoted upon trunnions e t1 to the curb E, and to standards J, and adapted to turn on said pivots, so asto open or close the mouth of the4 chutes to any required degree.

M, a horizontally-sliding ring or hoop, extending entirely around the curb, and connected to the trun- Anions e e by means of slotted arms or links N, rigidly f aixed to the trunnions.

'513, pins, projecting from the sides of the ring M into the slots of the arms or links.

o, a rack on the ring M; and

O, a spindle, having a pinion, o, at its lower end, by which to` slide the ring in one direction or the other, and thereby to turn the gates o`n their trunnions, for the purpose of letting ou or shutting ,off the wat-er.

a. a, a set of supplementary buckets, similar in form to .the main buckets C C, but much smaller, arranged around the outside ot' the rim D, directly under the joint between the partsD E, for the purposeof interlcepting and utilizing any water that may leak through between the curb and the wheel; and

T, a narrow rim or hoop, attached to the outer edges of said auxiliary buckets, 'and constituting their outer wall, as represented in iig. 1.

For the purpose of controlling the extent to which any given movement of the ring M will open the gates, the arms N N may be made adjustable at different angles on the trunnions, and where the available quantity of water is very small, by removing any number of said arms, or hy withth'awing-the pins t' t', throwing the ends ofthe links off of the pins, or disconnecting the upper end of the links from the trunnions, any

number of gates may readily be put out ol connection with the ring, so that its movement will not open them, and the flow of water will thereafter be cenfilled to the other gates.

In this manner, the quantity of water available for the, purpose of operating the wheel, may vary considerably, and vet the wheel can be adjusted to it, so as to work perfectly.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'- y 1. rlhe curved gates I I, hung on trunnions e e, in connection with the slotted arms N, the pins t, the sliding ring M, and the rack and pinions o o1 O, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The supplemental buckets a a, on the outside of wheel D, when arranged with reference to the joint 'between the4 wheel and the curb, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

'I he above specification of my invention signed by me, this 8th day of April, 1869.

P. 0 PALMER. Witnesses:

OHAs. A. PETTIT, S. 0. KEMON. 

